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Boys basketball: Pressure lifts Concord past St. Mark's

The No. 4-seeded Concord Raiders topped St. Mark's in boys quarterfinal action at the Bob Carpenter Center on Sunday, while the top-seeded Sals pulled away from No. 24 St. Elizabeth in the fourth. (3/2/14)

Kevin Phillips, Special to The News Journal
3:12 a.m. EST March 3, 2014

NEWARK – Unable to play offense as it is accustomed to, Concord turned to its defense to pick up the slack against St. Mark's in the quarterfinals of the DIAA Boys Basketball State Tournament on Sunday at the Bob Carpenter Center.

The fifth-seeded Raiders used a stifling full-court press to hold the Spartans to just one point over the final 4:47 of the game and squeezed by St. Mark's for a 40-34 victory.

"We just focused on our defense, and we knew that our offense was going to come to us," senior guard Joe Cooper said. "We just kept focusing, and we found our shots late. In the fourth quarter, that's what it's all about."

After scoring just one point in the third, Concord (16-6) trailed the fourth-seeded Spartans 26-25. St. Mark's Peter Berardi hit a 3-pointer early in the final frame to make it 29-25, but the Raiders finally found a rhythm and went on a 7-2 run to take a one-point lead with 5:17 remaining.

Fourth-seeded St. Mark's regained the lead at 33-32 on a Calvin Scott layup with 4:47 left. Cooper responded with his fifth 3-pointer of the game to give the Raiders the lead for good with 4:02 left. The Raiders' staff gives Cooper the green light to shoot whenever he has space, which he had at several points Sunday.

"I was confident, and my teammates were getting me the ball," said Cooper, who had a game-high 19 points. "I was just making shots. I was making big shots."

The Concord defense did the rest, limiting the Spartans (15-6) and advancing to the semifinals for the fourth time in five seasons.

"Defensively, we can go as far as we want to go," Raider head coach Ralph Flowers said. "We talked as coaches and said that was one of our best defensive efforts from start to finish, and that's what you need to win this tournament."

Nick Papa had 12 points while Calvin Scott chipped in eight to lead the Spartans, who did not have enough to overcome the Concord press down the stretch.

"I'm really proud of our guys. They came to battle every day in practice and in each and every game," coach Nicholas Sanna said. "I thought the third quarter was exactly who we are. We locked them up and gave ourselves a chance in the fourth. They made a couple of plays in the clutch, and that was the difference."